Weather News

Cairns remains a hot place to be

Tristan Meyers,
Tuesday February 16, 2016 - 15:15 EDT

This week will see a return to above-normal temperatures for Cairns, leading to heatwave conditions.

Looking at the coming week into the weekend, maximum temperatures are expected to remain above 31 degrees, the climatological average for this period in February, peaking at 37 degrees tomorrow. Minimum temperatures will also see a spike above the 23 degree average, between 24 and 25 degrees.

Cairns experienced similar conditions at the beginning of this month. Significant deviations from averages in temperatures in tropical areas are associated with reduced rainfall and more direct solar exposure. For the Cairns area, tropical activity seen in the summer is typically diminished or has a later onset following an El Nino event. Indeed, cyclones and other tropical phenomena, such as monsoons, have been less established compared to average this year.

February 2016 has seen but a single tropical cyclone or disturbance in the eastern Australian cyclone region, compared to four tropical systems last February.

Temperatures are likely to return to near-average from early next week, under the influence of a southeasterly change.

While most Queenslanders sheltered inside during the past week of severe storms, a breed of professional photographers known as storm chasers were outside, braving the danger to get the best possible shot.

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